MIRACLES & PSYCHIC ABILITIES

Introduction

Believing in miracles in today’s technologically driven society is difficult to impossible, and not without good reason. Miracles fly in the face of personal experience and science. They are also difficult to define, and if something can’t be defined, then just what is it one is supposed to believe?

When we think of miracles we tend to think of biblical miracles, such as acts of healing the incurable, walking on water, and turning water into wine. But with the right technologies most of these, and other miracles, are possible. It isn’t so much a case of what is produced, but how it is done, and how quickly, that makes a miracle truly miraculous. Biblical miracles appear to have several criteria.

One can’t help noticing that these criteria also meet the wishes of the capitalist, and appeal to our sense of gratification. They are hardly renunciative in purpose.

The Buddha had a different set of values for what constituted a miracle. The Kevaddha Suttaṃ (DN11) tells us Buddhist miracles are comparatively modest. Kevaddha was a layman who made a request of the Buddha. He pointed out that the city of Nālandā was a rich, thriving and populous city, full of people with faith in the Tathāgata. “It would be well if the Lord were to cause some monk to perform superhuman feats and miracles. In this way, Nalanda would come to have even more faith in the Lord.” The Buddha relied, ‘Kevaddha, I don’t teach the monks in this way: “Go, monks, and perform super human feats and miracles for the white-clothed lay people! (1).”’ But Kevaddha was reluctant to accept this, and for a second and third time, he made the same request, and for a second and third time, he got the same response. The Buddha explained that miracles do not necessarily convince people. If a person with faith reports a miracle to a person without faith, the latter would attribute the power of the miracle to something other than the training of the Buddha, such as a charm or spell. “Kevaddha, seeing the danger of such miracles, I dislike, reject and despise them (5).”

But there were three miracles that were acceptable to the Buddha: the miracle of psychic power, the miracle of telepathy, and the miracle of instruction (3).

The Miracles Of Psychic Power

The Buddha describes miracles of psychic power:

It is important to understand none of the above are done with a body made of flesh and blood. The correct understanding is explained in Mahāsakuludāyi Suttam (MN77:9), where the Buddha makes it explicitly clear, all the above are done with a mind-made body. That is, they are performed at the metaphysical level, not the physical level.

The point of this simile is that one object is physical, and the other is a metaphysical facsimile. He goes on to underline the point with two more similes. One is of a sword and its scabbard, and another of a snake and its skin. Having established, in triplicate, that one is real and the other is a mind-made facsimile, he then makes the same point, three more times, using three new similes. As a skilled potter or his apprentice, as a skilled ivory worker or his apprentice, and as a skilled goldsmith or his apprentice create their wares, so too a mind-made body is fashioned and well-prepared according to one’s wishes (31).

The message is clear, these miracles are done with a mind-made body; not physical bodies. Today, the miracle of psychic power is referred to variously, such as astral travel, and out-of-body experience.

The Miracle Of Telepathy

Discussion

Mind-reading is not unique to anyone. We all mind read. Women, I suspect, mind-read more than men, but men are just as able. People are always weighing each other up. We mind-read those we spend most time with. Simple mind-reading starts with mood-reading, and being aware of another’s intentions. It is more frequent between people who are close, and can even be a cause of much annoyance in a relationship. Animals are mind readers too and there is much psychic communication between pet owners and pets.

Less common, but also possible, is knowledge of what has happened to some one who is in a remote place.

The Buddha teaches mind reading, as with all supernormal powers, is a function of one’s capacity to concentrate ². In the bhikkhu’s case, this is developed through ethical practice and meditation, although psychic ability has nothing to do with following a good ethic per se; animals being a case in point. The pursuit of gain and even evil can also serve as a mental discipline. I consider the mischievous to be more psychically active than innocent people.

Many fortune tellers fail to realise they are mind-reading and think they are seeing someone’s future (see Chapter 11, subtitle Bhikkhu Samiddhi). Some people have a particularly annoying habit of intimating, and even telling another, of their future without permission. Telling people what they don’t want to here, or predicting someone’s future without a wholesome reason, is in Buddhist terms, an infringement of the precept of samma vaca.

Basic mind-reading is so prevalent, it is difficult to see how it does not form part of the evolutionary mechanism. It is as much a tool for personal power as anything else in the pursuit of survival. Thus, the more you defer to someone, the more potential you offer for your mind to be read. This is why when paying for a psychic reading, the psychic usually needs to know something about you (date and time of birth for example), or asks for something you have that they can hold during the reading. What they really seek is your deference.

The best protection against psychic infringement is aloofness and even offensiveness. But because friendliness is ordinarily not something people can go without for long, we are all vulnerable. Beware of those who study you, or insist on knowing your personal details without sharing theirs, even in so-called ‘spiritual’ environments.

The Miracle Of Instruction

The first miracle of instruction requires insight based on experience of the intimate aspects of meditation and renunciation practices: how the mind works, how to respond to mind(s) and mind-objects, and what to expect. It also requires the ability to teach. Some may say this is hardly a miracle; some will say it is the best miracle of all. This book is an attempt to work the miracle of instruction.

The second miracle of instruction is the attainment of Full Enlightenment. In the case of a Buddha, it is all the more miraculous because he discovers what has been lost, for a very long time. He acquires perfect perspective and sees existence for what it really is.

The third miracle of instruction refers to those who have heard the logos in the Dhamma (whether or not they leave home and don robes). They are wisdom hearers and therefore stream winners, in the least.

So, there are three types of miraculous individuals here. There is someone who can teach the Dhamma from experience. There is a Buddha who recovers lost wisdom, and there is becoming noble oneself.

All books about the Buddha-Dhamma, and all teachers of Buddha-Dhamma, should be evaluated by how well they produce the first and third miracles.

Discussion

We learn from the above that the Buddha did not perform superhuman feats and miracles so people ‘would come to have even more faith in the Lord (DN11)’. However, he did make concessions for people of the Sakyan clan, who were genuinely committed to the Dhamma discipline. They would routinely ask after the rebirth destination of a deceased clan member. The Buddha would respond to their curiosity, as it fortified their practice (SN V 55:24. DN16:2.5). Personally speaking, I can’t help but compare this with today’s clairvoyants. They too support faith in an afterlife. It can be a truly remarkable phenomenon to witness, as it frequently defies a debunking explanation.

We also see the Kevaddha criteria are not as bravura of those found in the Bible, and so are not so difficult to accept. Kevaddha criteria do not recognise feats of exotic physics which save time, money and energy. Yet, there are many miracles in the Pāli Canon, which do not fit squarely inside the Kevaddha criteria. Some don’t even come close.

Confounding the application of the Kevaddha criteria are miracles performed by humans outside of the earthly sub-plane; miracles performed on Earth by beings from other sub-planes and miracles that are merely implied and not explicit.

Analysis of Miracles

We will now study some miracles found in the Majjhima Nikāya and the Dīgha Nikāya, and assess them using the Kevaddha criteria. To help increase the definition of our investigation, we will augment our criteria:

This analysis produces eight types of miracles (see table 25, Miracle Descriptions). The introduced criteria are not intended to be in anyway exhaustive, or particularly representative of Buddhist analysis. We will list all miracles performed by beings outside of their sub-plane as exotic physics, and therefore not within Kevaddha criteria. We will find that some miraculous events are non-attributable.

Moggallāna’s Miracle

There was an occasion when Sakka ruler of the Gods of the Thirty-Three, visited the Buddha to listen to a brief teaching on how a bhikkhu is liberated through the destruction of craving.

Keeping the Buddha on his right, Sakka paid homage, and then vanished (6). The Venerable Moggallāna, who had sat not too far away, wondered whether Sakka had really taken in the lesson. As quick as a strong man is able to flex his arm, Moggallāna vanished and reappeared amongst the Gods of the Thirty-Three, in the Eastern Park. By this time, Sakka had already settled down, and was enjoying a hundred-fold of five kinds of heavenly music⁴. Seeing Moggallāna coming in the distance, Sakka dismissed the musicians and went to greet Moggallāna. They sat together for discussion, with Sakka taking a lower seat. Moggallāna asked Sakka to recall the teaching the Buddha had given. But Sakka avoided the question. He talked about himself, saying he was busy, not only with his own business, but with that of the Gods of the Thirty-Three⁵. Sakka explained there was once a war between the gods and the Titans, from which Sakka returned victorious, and then built the Vejayanta Palace. It had over 100 towers, each tower with seven hundred chambers, each chamber with seven nymphs, and each nymph with seven maids. Sakka continued his filibustering by taking Moggallāna, and the god King Vessavaṇa, on a tour of the whole of the Vejayanta Palace (10). Referring to Sakka as the venerable Kosiya (meaning someone who had made merit by supporting the Saṅgha), Moggallāna commented how lovely the palace was, saying it was a credit to him. But, it occurred to Moggallāna, ‘This spirit is living too negligently. What if I stir up a sense of urgency in him?’ And so, Moggallāna performed a miracle. By merely pointing his toe, he made the whole palace tremble (11). Sakka, the divine king, and the whole of the Gods Of the Thirty Three, were filled with wonder, and their hair stood on end. Moggallāna seized the moment and again asked, ‘Kosiya how did the blessed one state to you, in brief, the destruction of craving?’ Sakka then accurately recounted the teaching he had received from the Buddha. This delighted Moggallāna and, just as quickly as a strong man could flex his arm, he disappeared (13).

Discussion

Moggallāna performed two miracles in the above. One was disappearing and reappearing in another world, and the other was causing a ground tremor in another world.

Visiting the Brahma world is an acceptable miracle if done with a mind-made body, but not in physical form, as we are led to believe happened with Moggallāna. So, how does this measure up in our list of criteria? The miracle is explicitly Moggallāna’s. If his disappearance is considered to be done with his material body, it is exo-kevaddha. It is exo-sub-planar because he reappeared amongst the Gods of the Thirty-three.

In the second miracle, he caused the ground to shake by pointing a toe. This is a manifestation of exotic physics, at least by earthly standards, and going by the surprise of the gods, also theirs. Some might argue an earth tremor is legitimate, as it amounts to wielding ‘bodily mastery as far as the Brahma worlds (MN77:31)’. But it is doubtful that wielding bodily mastery, to a Buddhist renunciant, could ever mean anything other than mastery over oneself. Causing a ground tremor is also very close to being a miracle for the purpose of building up faith in others; in this case the gods. This miracle is exo-kevaddha, exo-sub-planar, and explicit.

Parabolically, the discourse affirms there is an afterlife.

Saccaka and a Thunderbolt Wielding Spirit

There was an occasion when Saccaka, son of the Nigaṇṭha, confronted the Buddha and initiated a discussion on impermanence and material form. It didn’t go well for Saccaka and he hesitated to answer whether he could exercise power over material form. A second time the Buddha asked the same question, and a second time Saccaka remained silent. The Buddha then warns Saccaka. “Aggivessana, answer now. Now is not the time to be silent. If anyone, when asked a reasonable question up to a third time by the Tathāgata, still does not answer, his head splits into seven pieces, there and then (14).” Both the Buddha and Saccaka see a spirit appear above Saccaka’s head. The spirit is wielding an incandescently hot thunderbolt. Saccaka tells the Buddha to ask a third time, and after asking a third time, Saccaka admits he is not able to exercise power over his material form (self).

Discussion

Technically, a thunderbolt is an electric weapon, and could be argued as not constituting exotic physics. But the Yakkha is from the sub-plane of The Gods of the Thirty-Three (DN18:10) which makes it alien (exotic) physics (see above Analysis of Miracles).

Whilst such a story would likely have appealed to an ancient listener, today it is likely to attract contempt. Just who would challenge the celebrated ascetic Gotama to debate, at the risk of decapitation?

Whilst the miracle is not the Buddha’s volition, there are in fact several examples in the Canon where Yakkhas have turned up to intimidate by threat of death. This implies an agreement between the Buddha and the Yakkhas. And we also notice the Buddha must have known the Yakkha was going to turn up as he was able to warn Saccaka.

The problem then with summary execution by thunderbolt-wielding yakkha, is to whom we attribute the mens rea? It would appear that both the Buddha and Yakkha are culpable. Yet, such a miracle could not be more out of character for someone who taught the Eight Fold Noble Path for the welfare of all.

Ostensibly, the miracle is exo-kevaddha, exo-sub-planar and explicitly the Yakkha’s

Parabolically, the discourse affirms there is an afterlife, and the need for samma vaca.

Angulimāla

Let’s recall the miracle that occurred between the Buddha and Angulimāla (MN86:5), from the previous chapter. Angulimāla ran after the Buddha but could not catch him, even though the Buddha only walked.

Discussion

This is a performance of a superhuman feat for the purpose of awakening faith, which puts it outside of Kevaddha criteria. Nor was it only a simple act of telepathy. It was an uninvited, and gross, infringement of Angulimāla’s consciousness, even if it was an act of compassion.

This miracle is exo-kevaddha, sub-planar and explicitly the Buddha’s.

Miracle Of Healing

The Bible is known for its healing miracles, but not so the Pāli Canon. But there is a healing miracle found in the Angulimāla Suttaṃ (MN86:14-17). The Buddha gave instructions to Angulimāla to go to Savatthi, where there was a woman enduring serious labour pains. He instructed Angulimāla to say, “Sister, since I was born, I do not recall that I have ever intentionally deprived a living being of life. By this truth, may you be well and may your infant be well!” Angulimāla objects, as he had deprived people of their lives. Nevertheless, he follows the Buddha’s instructions and both woman and infant pass through their ordeal well.

Discussion

This is not a miracle of psychic power, nor telepathy, nor instruction. It is also based on an infringement of samma vaca, as the Buddha’s instructions were clearly founded on an untruth.

It is sub-planar and exo-kevaddha. But whose miracle is it really? It was explicitly Angulimāla’s but by implication the Buddha’s.

I suspect the Mahāyana scribes knowingly made a strategic deception out of miracles by implication. After all, they can always mitigate their actions to the Yama god by saying they didn’t ascribe false Dhamma to the Buddha but aggrandised a wise teacher out of compassion and the welfare of others.

Ambaṭṭha Suttam

There was an occasion when the distinguished Brahmin Pokkharasāti, sent Ambaṭṭha his capable student of the vedic scriptures, to investigate the good word that had circulated about the ascetic Siddhatta, of the Sakyan clan. Ambaṭṭha set out with a number of other Brahmins, who came across a group of bhikkhus practising walking meditation. They took Ambaṭṭha and his entourage to be someone the Buddha would be prepared to engage in discussion. They instructed Ambaṭṭha to walk upon the veranda to the door, and approaching it without haste, cough, and then use the doorknocker. This they did, and the Buddha opened the door, and in they entered. The Buddha took up a seated position, but Ambaṭṭha remained standing, even though he knew tradition said he should have taken a lower seat. Ambaṭṭha’s demeanour was deliberately arrogant, and at one point during their lengthy discussion, described the Buddha’s tribe as menial (DN3:1.14). The Buddha then gave Ambaṭṭha a brief lesson regarding some history of Ambaṭṭha’s own Kaṇhāyan tribe (1.15). He revealed, amongst others things that Ambaṭṭha was of a lineage descended from a slave girl of King Okkāka, who was considered Sakayan, no less. The Buddha then asked Ambaṭṭha if he had ever heard his elders tell of the origins of the Kaṇhāyan tribe (1.19). But Ambaṭṭha remained silent. And after a second time of asking Ambaṭṭha did not answer. The Buddha warned him that his head would shatter into seven pieces if he did not answer after a third time of asking (1.20). At that moment a yakkha called Vajrapani appeared above the head of Ambaṭṭha, seen by both the Buddha and Ambaṭṭha. A third time the Buddha asked, and this time Ambaṭṭha admitted that he did in fact know about his slave origins (1.21). The Buddha went on to admonish Ambaṭṭha over his deceit and hypocrisy regarding the socially divisive caste system.

Discussion

This summary execution by thunderbolt yakkha categorises as exo-kevaddha, exo-sub-planar, and explicitly the Yakkha’s.

Ambaṭṭha and the Buddha’s Markings

There is more to the above discussion between Ambaṭṭha and the Buddha. According to Pokkharasāti discourse, the 32 marks of a great man are Vedic in origin⁶. If he was a home dweller, he would be a great and righteous ruler of society, but if he lived as a homeless mendicant, he would be a Buddha (DN3:1.5). The Pāli Canon alleges Siddhatta Gotama had all 32 markings. However, there were two physical attributes, which were not apparent. They included nothing other than possessing a large penis⁷, kept in a sheath, and a tongue so long it could touch both ears. The Buddha knew Ambaṭṭha was keen to know if he had all 32 markings, and so he used his psychic powers to reveal his sheathed genitals to Ambaṭṭha. He then demonstrated he could touch each earlobe with his tongue (2.12).

Table 27 Thirty Two Marks Of A Great Man

Discussion

Whilst the above is a miracle of psychic power, it was not mind-reading but more mind-meld for the purpose of bolstering faith in Ambaṭṭha. This miracle is exo-kevaddha, sub-planar and explicitly the Buddha’s.

The 32 Marks Of A Great Man actually produce a shockingly ugly figure. The image they produce is a contrast to footnote 641 in the Mahārāhulovāda (MN62:3), in which the Buddha’s son Rāhula is caught admiring his father thinking, “I too am handsome like my father the blessed one. The Buddha’s form is beautiful and so too is mine⁸.”

A search of the internet will reveal that a male silverback gorilla also has characteristics 7, 9, 15, 16, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 32.

Anciently, the 32 qualities would have likely constituted the ideal perfect man. They depict someone of exceptional physical and sexual power, and abundantly capable of looking after himself, a wife and family. While these are exceptional ordinary qualities, they are spurious to a renunciant ⁹.

There is another consideration for this bizarre description of the Buddha. In the introduction I mentioned that the Arya could have been a diaspora of ram worshippers from Egypt. It maybe that the 32 marks are an attempt to emulate the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (cerca 1370 BC). He held the throne of the most powerful empire on Earth at the time. He was the first recorded head of state to decree the concept of one God; in effect, he invented monotheism. He was distinguished amongst other things as having Marfan syndrome, which deforms the body creating long fingers and toes. Stone carvings portray him with long, narrow face, wide hips, long arms and unusually long fingers and toes, and a trepanned head. This description compares well with points 3, 4, 9, 27 and 32, attributed to the Buddha.

Pharaohs were known to have false beards. Curiously, tradition maintains Siddhatta also had a beard, yet other renunciants were totally shaven.

I can find no support in the Vedas for Ambaṭṭha’s comment in the Pokkharasāti discourse, that the 32 marks of a great man are Vedic in origin.

But did the teaching of the 32 marks come with the Arya from Egypt to the Hindus Valley, only to be lost from the Vedanta? Hardly, the rishis, were, and still are, meticulous protectors of Vedic Wisdom, in both written and oral form.

As we dealing with an inconsistency within the Pāli Canon, I consider the teachings of the 32 marks as a Mahāyanaism?

Pāṭika Suttam

While once staying among the Malla people, near a town called Anupiya, and realising it was too early for alms, the Buddha visited bhikkhu Bhaggava Gotta (DN24 Pāṭika Suttaṃ). He told the Buddha that Sunakkhatta had said he was no longer a bhikkhu, under the rule of master ascetic Gotama the Buddha. But, Sunakkhatta had already informed the Buddha, saying he wanted to leave his rule due to a lack of miracles. The Buddha reminded Sunakkhatta that the Tathagata never asked anyone to be under his rule, and the Tathagata never taught on condition he would perform miracles. The Buddha then recounted several events to Bhaggava Gotta regarding the foolishness of Sunakkhatta.

On one occasion, the Buddha was wondering with Sunakkhatta, who was admiring ascetic Korakkhattiya, who was doing naked dog duty, going around on all fours, and eating food off the ground. Realising Sunakkhatta’s thoughts, the Buddha gave him a salutary reproval, saying the ascetic Korakkhattiya would be dead in seven days of indigestion, and would be reborn amongst the Kālakañja, the lowest grade of Asuras, and that his corpse would be discarded in bīraṇa-grass. The Buddha reminded Sunakkhatta that he was free to ask Karakkhattiya if he knew his own fate (1.7). Sunakkhatta did go to see the ascetic and warned him of the Buddha’s prophesy, saying he hoped Gotama the ascetic would be proved wrong. But, come the seventh day, as the Buddha predicted, the ascetic died of indigestion, and was reborn amongst the Kālakañja, and his body was discarded amid bīraṇa-grass. Hearing of this Sunakkhatta went to check, and sure enough, he found the ascetic’s body discarded in bīraṇa-grass. Sunakkhatta struck the corpse three times asking, “Friend Korakkhattiya, do you know your fate?” Korakkhattiya sat up, scratched his back (one assumes canine-like) and said, “Friend, I know my fate. I have been reborn amongst the Kālakañja, the very lowest grade of Asuras.” The corpse then fell back to the ground (1.9). Sunakkhatta returned to the Buddha who asks,

On another occasion the Buddha was wondering with Sunakkhatta, who was admiring another naked ascetic Kalāramuttakha, for his regime of chastity, eating only certain foods¹⁰, and limiting himself to within certain geographical boundaries. The Buddha predicted that the ascetic would be clothed, married and living on other foods before long. This too came to pass, (1.13) much to the chagrin of Sunakkhatta, who left the dhamma and discipline ‘like one condemned to hell’.

And, on another occasion (1.15), Sunakkhatta told the Buddha that the naked ascetic Pāṭikaputta, had challenged the Buddha to a public competition of perform-the-best-miracle. In the event, hundreds of thousands turned up, but Pāṭikaputta got stuck in a chair, and was unable to attend, leaving the Buddha to perform alone. Firstly, the Buddha performed a miracle of instruction, which brought 84,000 beings to bodhisattahood (2.13). Then, by meditating on the fire element, he rose into the air, to the height of seven palm trees, and projected a blazing beam¹¹ of light, which emitted fragrance. He finished the performance by reappearing in the Gabled Hall in the Great Forest (2.13).

Discussion

Predicting Korakkhattiya’s future is exo-kevaddha, sub-planar, and explicitly the Buddha’s. It is not a miracle of telepathy (DN11:6) and does not conform to samma vaca.

Sunakkhatta appeared to bring the corpse of Korakkhattiya back to life, by tapping it three times (DN24:1.9), although the Buddha claims the miracle (10). Bringing people back to life could not be any further outside Kevaddha criteria. This miracle is exo-kevaddha, sub-planar and the Buddha’s.

Impressing Sunakkhatta with a miracle to stop him leaving the Saṅgha is in direct contravention to the Kevaddha criteria, which state the Buddha did not perform miracles to bolster faith (Sakayan clan excepted), unless the Buddha’s motivation was to spite Sunakkhatta. This miracle is exo-kevaddha, sub-planar, and explicitly the Buddha’s.

Puzzlingly, Sunakkhatta left the dhamma and discipline ‘like one condemned to hell’ no less than three times.

Similarly, predicting the future of Kalāramuttakha, is exo-kevaddha sub-planar and explicitly the Buddha’s.

The bringing of 84,000 people to bodhisattahood is technically a miracle of instruction and within Kevaddha criteria. However, it is difficult to accept 84,000 people could be addressed in one day. Even given an 84,000-seat stadium, which is larger than any UK premier league football ground, a human voice would barely be heard in the front rows, even by those facing the speaker. Although this miracle is incredible, technically it is a miracle of instruction and falls within Kevaddha criteria, and is sub-planar and explicitly the Buddha’s (2.13).

Birth Of Bodhisatta Gotama

There was an occasion when the Buddha was living at Sāvattha, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. It was evening and he went to the meeting hall where some bhikkhus had been in discussion. He enquired after their discussion and was told they were extolling the admirable qualities of the Tathagata. The Buddha asked Ānanda to justify why they would do this. Now Ānanda was famous for his memory of the Dhamma, and he gave an extensive reply, based on what he had heard come from the Buddha’s own lips. He had heard how when the Buddha was a Bodhisatta, upon passing away from the Earth for the penultimate time, he had done so mindfully, and fully aware, and remained mindful and fully aware, when he reappeared in the Tusita Heavens. He remained mindful and fully aware during his stay there, and while passing away from the Tusita Heavens, and while descending into his Earthly mother’s womb, for the last time (Acchariya-Abbhuta Sutta MN123:3), and even whilst being born on Earth.

Ānanda continues: As the Buddha passed away from the Tusita heavens, there was a light of immeasurable splendour that surpassed anything in the world, and the Ten Thousand World-System of Gods (7). The whole world-system shook, quaked and trembled. The light extended as far as the abyss, and the vacant interspaces between world-systems, which are gloom and utter darkness, and where the light of the Sun and Moon does not shine¹². Beings that had been born into the interspaces of vacancy were able to see each other for the first time, and know that they were not alone there.

Ānanda continued: During the pregnancy of the bodhisatta’s mother, four deities defended the baby and mother, so that neither human nor non-human could do them harm (8). The bodhisatta’s mother “became intrinsically virtuous” in abstaining from killing, sensual pleasures, false speech, and negligence due to wines, liquors and intoxicants (9). No sensual thoughts arose in her towards men, and she was inaccessible to any man with lustful thoughts for her (10). His mother enjoyed the five senses (11) without clinging, and she was blissful and free from fatigue. She saw the baby bodhisatta in her womb, with all his limbs and lacking no faculty (12). Seven days after the birth, the mother died and reappeared in the Tusita Heavens (13). She had gestated the baby not for nine months but ten (4), and gave birth standing up (15). Ānanda then describes how at the moment of parturition, four young gods received the baby bodhisatta, and presented him to his young mother, saying, “Rejoice, O queen, a son of great power is born to you (17).” The baby bodhisatta was born clean, unsmeared by water, humours, blood or any impurity, because both mother and baby were pure (18). Two streams of water poured forth from the sky, one cool, one warm, for bathing the baby bodhisatta and mother (19). Almost as soon as the bodhisatta was born, he stood with his feet, firmly on the ground, and he took seven steps northwards and surveyed north, south, east and west, and declared himself second to none in the world, uttering, “This is my last birth; now there is no renewal of being for me (20).”

Ānanda continued: At the moment of parturition, there was another light of immeasurable splendour that surpassed anything in the world, and any god in the ten thousand world-system. The whole world-system shook, quaked, and trembled. The light extended into the abyss of interspaces of vacancy (21).

Despite this fulsome reply, the Buddha reminded Ānanda of a wonderful and marvellous quality he had missed.

Discussion

There is little in the Acchariya-Abbhuta Suttaṃ that doesn’t test the readers faith: a baby that did not touch the Earth but was received by gods, being born unsmeared and yet hot and cold water runs from the sky for bathing, and a baby able to walk and talk and predict the future.

There is also a serious question regarding the Dhamma. The baby Bodhisatta’s mother was able to enjoy her senses without clinging! This flies in the face of the Buddha’s Universal Dhamma, which says enjoying is clinging, “as renewal of being in the future is generated through delighting (MN43:16).” Whilst dealing with one’s survival needs brings relief, this is to be distinguished from enjoying and delighting.

The birth is every bit as miraculous as the birth of Jesus, and just as he had three wise men from the East attend, similarly, Buddhist tradition maintains three wise seers, belonging to the court of Suddhodana, were called upon to predict the future of the baby bodhisatta Siddhatta.

The astrophysicist will wonder what kind of energy could make the whole near Cosmos tremble, and light up the dark spaces in the universe.

The above discourse contains a mixed bag of miracles, all of which are exo-Kevaddha and largely exo-sub-planar. There is however, one miracle I suspect is possible, and that is the bodhisatta’s mother being able to see her unborn child. Whilst this is not listed as Kevaddha criteria, I have spoken to one female meditator who claimed this ability (see Addendum 3).

Parabolically, the discourse affirms there are other sub-planes, and teaches mindfulness should be maintained, even while birthing, and dying, through the sub-planes, and not just while living. All Buddhists can take this last teaching as literal.

MahāpariNibbāna Miracles

The Mahāparinibbāna Suttam (DN16) covers the period just before and including the Buddha’s death, although Buddhists don’t usually use the word death, but talk of his Parinibbāna. This creates the implication that his death was not the same as any other fully enlightened being. Yet there is nothing in the Pāli Canon that explains why this should be the case.

The Mahāparinibbāna discourse contains a whole host of exo-kevaddha and unattributable miraculous events. Just before the Buddha died, he had a conversation with Mara the Evil One (3.7), in which he told Mara he had held off Parinibbāna, until there were enough bhikkhus and disciples well accomplished in the Dhamma (3.35). But, elsewhere in the Canon, he taught Rādha that Mara was better understood as parabolic (SN III. 23:1)).

Ānanda pleads with the Buddha to live longer, but he is told the possibility is now out of time (3.38). He says he had given Ānanda broad hints, in over a dozen locations, but Ānanda failed to hear them¹³ (3.40). Ānanda asks the Buddha not to die for a second and third time, saying he had heard from the lord’s own lips, “Whoever has developed the four roads to power … could undoubtedly live for a century, or for the remainder of one (3.47).” The Four Roads to power are intention, energy, consciousness, investigation, each concentrated by the effort of will (DN18:22). This is an unconvincing strategy for becoming a centenarian, although death can be delayed for a little while with a positive attitude.

As the Buddha lay in his dying moments, with his head northwards, two sala trees burst into bloom, and flowers fell, covering the Buddha’s body. Flowers also fell from the sky and from the Coral trees of the gods, as well as divine powdered sandalwood. Divine music also sounded (5.2). Even the sewers became covered knee-deep in flowers (6.16).

The gods would not let the venerable Kassapa light the funeral pyre until he had first clasped his hands and circumvented the pyre, which then spontaneously ignited (6.21). The gods took one of the Buddha’s teeth from the charred remains for themselves (6.28).

Discussion

All of the above are exo-Kevaddha, exo-sub-planar and largely unattributable. They aggrandise the Buddha to biblical proportions.

Parabolically, the discourse affirms there are other sub-planes.

Summary of Miracles

The following table is collated using the Kevaddha, and the two introduced criteria. Most important is whether they are within the Kevaddha criteria, and not the two introduced criteria. A glance at table 25 shows that only one of 17 miracles fits squarely into the Kevaddha criteria, and even then, it is questionable (on the grounds of acoustics, see Discussion above). I have not included in the table the miraculous events in the Acchariya-Abbhuta Sutta (MN123:7) although I count at least 14 questionable events outside of the Kevaddha criteria.

Table 28 Miracle Evaluation

How To Do Miracles

Miracles require concentration, and a mind that has been conditioned with mental discipline.

He told Subha that it was impossible for local brahmin Pokkharasāti (MN99) to realise superhuman states, because he was obstructed by the five hindrances (Sensual desire, Ill-will, Sloth and Torpor, Restlessness, and cynical Doubt). He was profoundly attached to the five cords of sense pleasure (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body), ‘he enjoys them without seeing the danger in them or understanding the escape from them (16)’.

The Buddha taught layman Kevaddha that appropriate concentration is required for a meditator to make the Brahma world appear before him (DN11:80). He taught wanderer Udāyin that fourth jhāṇaṃ is necessary to dwell and converse with the gods, recollect past lives¹⁴, and directly see the passing away and reappearance of beings, according to their kamma. “When his concentrated mind is purified, bright, unblemished, rid of imperfection, malleable, wieldy, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs it to knowledge of the recollection of past lives (MN79:28-44).”

In the Mahāsakuludāyi discourse he tells Udāyin, he taught bhikkhus how to recollect previous lives as far back as hundreds and thousands of life times, and even many aeons of world expansion and contraction (MN77:34).

But does not transcendental vision require some volition to bring about the above miracles? And does not volition amount to wilfulness? And does not wilfulness amount to an impure mind? In fact, Kevaddha miracles require no volition. It is exactly as the discourses say. Once the mind is purified by meditation, one simply directs the mind (MN136:9-14). The volition required is no stronger than a simple thought of knowing. There is no technique other than purifying consciousness. Like jhāna, iddhi (psychic) powers arise in consequence of concentration, not by wanting them. It is my belief that one discovers what iddhi abilities one is predisposed to, as distinction from choosing one and developing it.

There is nothing exclusively Buddhist about Kevaddhian miracles. The discourses tell us there were recluses who did not follow the Buddha’s discipline, but who were still able to see where beings were reborn (MN136:13-16). There are lots of people who claim to be able to perform kevaddhian miracles, and who have never read a Buddhist discourse. There are some very impressive psychics on TV and radio (as well as some questionable ones).

There appears to be no exclusive correlation between psychic power and morality. Psychic powers are born of concentration, and just as ethical practice can be a vehicle for concentration, so too can ill will and greed. Devadatta, was known for his evil volition, and he is described as having ‘ordinary psychic power (Cullavagga VII).’